MONROE, La. - For one of the top defensive players in the State of Louisiana, he was just happy to finally get the chance to hit somebody that wasn't his teammate.

The question for Louisiana Tech fans is will he be doing some hitting for the Bulldogs this time next season.

Cyril Noland is a three-star defensive back from Ruston High School. Committed to the Bulldogs since August 10th of this year, Noland said he was just happy to get back into the swing of things.

"We have been beating up on our own guys pretty good the last couple of weeks," Noland said. "So it was good to finally get some competition against somebody else. While we didn't get the result we wanted (Ruston lost to Neville on Friday night), it was good to get the first game out of the way and get the nervous butterflies of starting the season out of the way. Always good to hit another team with different colors than your own."

Starting the season at an impressive 6-1, 195, Noland said his recent decision to commit to Louisiana Tech is not going to stop him from at least listening to other schools.

"I am very happy with my commitment right now," Noland said. "I talked to (Bulldogs Head Coach) Sonny Dykes yesterday and he wished me good luck in the game today. I'm satisfied with my commitment to be a Louisiana Tech Bulldog.

"As of right now I don't want to make any other visits to any other schools. I just want to stick to the script and concentrate on my senior football season. If other schools want to call and talk I am not going to lie. I have the open ear and I'm willing to listen, but I'm still an official Louisiana Tech Bulldog."

With his official visit to Tech still at a later date to be determined, Noland said that there are several things that he is individually working on to make his senior season memorable.

"For me the biggest thing I am working on is trying to eliminate the small mistakes," Noland said. "I want to make sure everybody in the defensive backfield is on the same page and knowing what their assignments are as much as possible.

"And of course you can always work on improving your tackling and just wrapping up the ball carriers."

Noland is projected as a strong safety on the next level.

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